Filing systems



April 25, 1967 H. J. KARL FILING SYSTEMS Filed Oct. 13, 1965 Fecal /NvsNro/Q H J. KA Q L.

United States. Patent O Filed Oct. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,532 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-21) This invention relates to listing or indexing systems and more particularly to an assembly or device for listing a plurality of individual strips, on which items of information have been typed, within a transparent folder or envelope enabling the strips to be conveniently substituted for others or have their arrangement readily altered.

An object of primary importance of the invention is to provide a holding member having a series of retaining means, such as small studs, extending from one surface along one of its longitudinal edges; the strips, previously provided with names and addresses, or other items of information, data, etc., being retained in position by engagement with the retaining means on the holding member along one of their end edges.

A feature of importance of the invention is that the studs, comprising the retaining means for the strips, are uniformly spaced apart and engage several openings extending along the edge of a strip; these studs and openings on the strips being so spaced that the strips may be mounted in positions partially overlapping adjacent strips.

Another object of the invention of importance is that the holding member and strips are enclosed by a folded transparent member or envelope, one of its edges being attached to the under side of the holding member and the folded over portion or panel having openings adjacent its free end to engage over the studs on the holding member.

Another feature of the invention that is important is that the strips may be typed with items of informaion, or data, before being separated individually from a sheet of letter size paper for convenience in typing the strips, the sheet having lines of horizontal perforations so that the strips may be conveniently separated before mounting on the holding member.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may include the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown the invention embodied in a simple form of filing device adapted for keeping up-to-date a number of items of information, such as names, addresses, lists of articles and their sales prices, etc., but it Will be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

FIG. l is a plan View, showing one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale of the embodiment shown in FIG. l, taken on the plane of line 1-1.

In the above mentioned drawing, there has been shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope ofthe appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing there is shown at a holding member. This member preferably is formed from a strip of flexible plastic material such as polyethylene. As shown, this holding member 10 is of elongated rectangular form and is provided with a vertical line of spaced short studs 12 adjacent one edge and outstanding from its upper surface. These studs 12 may be molded in and form an integral part of the holding member 10. Preferably and as shown in the drawing, the spacing of the studs 12 corresponds to a standard spacing of typewritten lines.

To the under surface of this holding member 10 is attached as by heat sealing, or other means indicated at 13, a transparent enclosing member 14. Along its right hand side the enclosing member 14 is folded over so that the strips 16, presently to be more fully described, may be completely enclosed. The folded over or upper panel of this enclosing member 14 as shown is provided with a series of holes 18 so that the free end of the upper panel may be closely fitted to the upper surface of the holding member 10 and strips 16. Also, this edge of the upper panel of member 14 may be extended as shown at 20 and permanently folded to extend under the left hand edge -of the holding member 10.

Housed between the holding member 10 and the upper and lower panels of the envelope member 14 are the strips 16 previously typed or otherwise provided with data, such as names, addresses, stock prices, etc. thereon. Preferably the items of data on the strips 16 are provided before separating the individual strips, that is, while they are still in sheet form. Parallel horizontal lines of perforations 22 suitably spaced apart are provided on the sheets from which the strips are separated enabling any strip to be separated from the sheet.

To obtain the maximum number of strips 16 in position on a holding member 10, all strips 16 of a sheet are separated one from the other and may be mounted in partially overlapped positions. Each strip 16 has several spaced openings 24 along its left hand end to engage over the studs 12 on the holding member 10 and retain the strips 16 in horizontal position.

In the use of this listing device the strips 16 before separation may initially be positioned within the envelope member 14 and retained in position by the studs 12. As changes are required to bring the information up-to-date, the sheet from which the strips 16 are formed may be separated along its horizontal perforations 22 and other strips 16 previously typed with the new data inserted in their place.

Also to obtain maximum information on the device the individual strips 16 previously typed may be mounted in partially overlapped or shingled relation to each other as shown in the lower portion of FIG. l.

The listing `device may from time to time be photocopied by any standard photo copying machine to show the information on the strips 16 or that portion exposed when the strips are in overlapped positions. In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, each strip 16 has three horizontally positioned items of information. Also, each item has its `data in three lines of typing. In placing the strips 16 on the holding member 10, one or all lines of this data may as desired be exposed, the remaining lines being covered by adjacent strips.

To retain several listing devices within standard looseleaf binders the member 10 may be provided with holes or perforations 26 to accommodate the retaining rings of the binder. Also matching these perforations 26 are openings 28 provided in the upper and l-ower panels of the enclosing member 14.

I claim as my invention:

A listing device comprising,

a narrow flexible plastic hol-ding member,

a series of short spaced studs outstanding from the upper surface and extending along a longitudinal edge of said holding member,

s n e 4 removable strips of flexible material extending beyond l References Cited bythe Examiner said holding .memberk and engaging said studs adl y UNITED STATES PATENTS 1mm one end 915,910 3/1909 van Horive 129-23 mdllclliron said strips disposed laterally beyond said r 1,847,825 3/1932 Farrelly' g member, and e .J

an enclosing exible transparent plastic member having 2,560,725 7/1951 Jones 129- 20 a panel attached to the under Surface `of said homing 609,613 9/1952 Capers 129-23 X member and another panel integral therewith and 219641042 12/ 1960 Hawley 129- 16 extending over said holding member and strips, said 30871498 4/1963 Vogel 129-23 second panel having openings engaging said studs 10 FOREIGN PATENTS adjacent its .free ed-ge and having its free edge beyond 502,468 3/1939 Great Britain.

said openings folded under the outer edge of the holding member. JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

